Woman Rents a Crane to Lift Her to Her 4-Storey Flat As She Was Locked Out of Her Home

Unconventional Home Entry: Malaysian Getai Artist Hires Lorry Crane to Beat Lock Woes

When your primary school teachers kept telling you to “think outside the box” when writing your compositions, this is probably what they had meant. 

In fact, this might take a step too far into the “too unbelievable” category. 

In a rather strange incident in Selangor on 21 January 2024, Ms Tammy Ng, a 40-year-old getai artist, found herself in a predicament when her electronic door lock malfunctioned, leaving her unable to enter her fourth-floor apartment.

With her master key inside and locksmiths quoting high costs to resolve the issue, a lightbulb went off atop Ms Ng’s head when the lady looked around and saw a lorry crane being used to trim trees around her apartment.

(Man, SCDF should take some notes…)

The Most Cost-Effective Method(?)

Ms Ng told The Straits Times that she had initially wanted to contact a locksmith to break the electronic door lock, but was told that it would cost around RM800 (S$227) to do so.

Moreover, it would cost even more to subsequently replace both the fire-rated door and the damaged anti-theft lock.

All of which would run up to about RM3,000 (S$850).

Refusing to incur such costs, she explored alternative options and drew inspiration from observing a lorry crane cutting trees nearby.

Opting for a more affordable approach, Ms Ng decided to hire a lorry crane for just RM500 (S$142) to lift her up to her balcony.

The unconventional home entry was captured in a four-minute video that showcased the process of the crane slowly lifting Ms Ng up from the ground floor to her apartment on the fourth floor.

She was seen cheerfully waving to onlookers below as it did so. Neighbours from above and below her apartment were also spotted witnessing the incident from their homes. 

Like something out of a James Bond movie, Ms Ng then precariously climbed into the balcony before turning around and giving the people present a triumphant thumb’s up. 

Video Goes Viral on Social Media

The video was then uploaded to her Facebook page, where it amassed more than 3,100 likes and 600 comments.

She wrote in her caption in Mandarin, “I think I might be the most awesome in 2024.” 

She also expressed that it was her first time riding a crane and described the experience as “cool.”

As various news sites across Malaysia and Singapore began covering the news, Ms Ng would repost them and laughingly caption, “I am the most famous on Facebook today”, and “If your door doesn’t open, call me and I will open it for you!”

In her original video, comments said, “You’re probably the most sensational news tonight”, “You should have brought a microphone up there so that you could sing a song or two while you’re at it” and “You should call the driver to bring you down tomorrow too”.

(Which begs the question – if her door lock actually malfunctioned, wouldn’t she still have to replace it and incur the cost anyway?)

Nonetheless, in the expensive year of 2024, the unusual method not only resolved her entry issue but also provided an entertaining and cost-effective solution, proving that creativity can prevail even in unexpected situations…

… and to my English teacher that nothing is too “unbelievable” in this day and age.